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Mum denies breaking baby daughter’s leg

A DOCTOR told a jury he does not believe explanations from a mother accused of breaking her baby daughter’s leg.

Jade Collison, of Juniper Close, Banbury, has pleaded not guilty to one count of inflicting grievous bodily harm during January last year.

The 19-year-old also denies one count of inflicting actual bodily harm on her daughter, who the Oxford Mail has chosen not to name.

Opening the case at Oxford Crown Court, prosecutor Sam Mainds said the injury was discovered after the infant, then six months old, was taken to Horton General Hospital in Banbury on January 29.

The child had two bruises on her face, which Collison said were caused when she fell against her cot.

But giving evidence yesterday paediatrician Dr Peter Ehrhardt said he did not believe this.

He said: “The explanation given was that she was propped up in a sitting position in the cot and she fell over and hit her head on the bars of the cot. I don’t accept that, I think it is not possible. She couldn’t get enough energy falling over to produce a bruise like that.”

Collison claims her daughter’s leg was broken when her partner stepped on it, but she did not realise it was a serious injury.

Dr Ehrhardt said although this was a plausible explanation for the break, he did not think it was true.

He said: “This baby would be really, really distressed. This baby would be really, really unhappy that night.

“The level of pain in the defence’s document does not match with the amount of pain you would feel if you had broken a bone.”

The trial continues.

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